Things Can Get Crazy
by Noise And Hammers
Summary: Logan's life is ok now, memories and all, but of course, things can get crazy...POSSIBLY a one-shot, not sure if I'm gonna continue it or not, but I probably will...rated for mature content.
1. We Talked

NOTE: Okie dokie, sudden random burst of energy! Woot! Just finished STT and I am pumped for some more Fausty ACTION!

Actually, that's not true. I am actually not going to write another Faust fic for a long time…my mind was gonna explode! O-o

Anyway, ahem, so instead, I present you a fic about Wolverine…because, I don't know, I want to. ^_^ This is set in a conversation between Logan and Prof. X, in which Logan's memories returned to him, and shortly after, some things happened…so enjoy.

-Momo

THINGS CAN GET CRAZY

"Ok, so things have been ok so far…"

"No random outbursts of rage, I presume?"

"Presume away…"

"Alright, what about your memories?"

"Kickin' me in the ass each time."

"Good thing?"

"On account I can remember them, yeah, that would be a good thing."

"Good…what about your—"

"Great. Just great."

"Did you even know what I was going to say?"

"Nope. But I know it's goin' great."

"Why is that?"

"You really wanna know? You're a mind reader, you can find out for yourself, eh?"

"I would rather you tell me."

"Alrighty then. Got laid last night."

"Ah…really…"

"Yep. Real great."

"Uh…huh…and who was this person?"

"Person? Chuck, ain't got no rainbows on me here."

"Ok, girl. Who was the girl?"

"Dunno. Some broad who ran into me at a bar."

"Some…broad…I could have guessed…"

"Mm-hm. Damn sexy. Like…like—"

"I understand…so, what happened?"

"What do you mean? Same old same old. She wasn't even half way to drunk, and I was sittin' there. She sorta…fell…onto me…"

"Ah huh…"

"Yep. I asked her if she was ok…not like I really cared, but courtesy, you know? So I asked, and she looked up at me, shiny blue eyes, and kissed me, right there in my lap."

"And you just…picked her up and left?"

"Yep."

"And brought her here?"

"Hell no."

"Her place?"

"Her boyfriend's truck."

"Oh…"

"Yeah…he was somewhere sleepin' on a bar stool…poor girl, though. Truck stank to high Hell like weed."

"You didn't get high did you?"

"Can't."

"I see…so after you…what happened after that?"

"We talked."

"Talked?"

"Uh huh."

"And what did she say?"

"Her boy's a real dip wad."

"Um…explain?"

"He's a smoker, drinker, dealer, the works. She hates him."

"And so?"

"So I said that she should leave him, and she was all like she wouldn't have a place to go and all that."

"And you brought her here then?"

"Nope. We went to her apartment…ordered some pizza and talked more."

"She just…befriended you?"

"Is that so strange?"

"No no…continue."

"Kay…so we talked and stuff, and ate, and she was real sweet, you know? Definitely not a drinker, like I mentioned. After we finished the pizza….well, she ate, I watched, she talked, I listened….but anyway, she popped in a movie or something and—"

"A movie or something?"

"Don't remember."

"Why not?"

"Cuz we were makin' out all over again….all over each other and all that…"

"Mm…"

"Yeah…and then we went at it again, naturally."

"Naturally."

"And I ended up staying there all night, you know? Like…like something told me I was supposed to be there…"

"Ah…do you have feelings for this woman?"

"I…I think so…"

"What might they be?"

"Pity, for one. For another…I…I like her…"

"Like her?"

"Like her…a little more than that maybe…I don't know…"

"You love her?"

"Just said. Don't know."

"Well, what about today?"

"Giving her a call in a bit. She gets outta work at four."

"Well then…how about you invite her over for dinner?"

"That'd be nice."

"Yes…well then, I guess we're done here."

"Guess so…"

"Logan."

"Hn?"

"I'm happy for you."

"Me too."

--

TO POSSIBLY BE CONTINUED


	2. Coming for Dinner

NOTE: Ok, so I am doing some more of this story, as promised. Guarded is coming along. Slowly. Very slowly. But coming along. ;)

-Momo

THING CAN GET CRAZY

Chapter Two

"Please pick up....pick up pick up pick up...damn..."

"Jack, stoppit!..._sigh_...hello?"

"Um...hi?"

"Who is this?"

"Um...this is Lo--James. It's James."

"Lo James, huh?"

"James."

"James....who?"

"I met you last night...at that bar..."

"Oh yeah! Hi! Yeah, so how are you?"

"Ok..."

"What's the matter?"

"Huh?"

"You seem...like...hesitant..."

"Sorry. It's just that...I can't really remember your name..."

"Oh! Yeah, it's ok! It's Natalie. Natalie Rose Ginger."

"Right right. Sorry, that was crap of me."

"No no, it's cool."

"...yeah..."

"Well, so, what's up?"

"Um, I was wondering if you would like to...come over tonight for dinner."

"For dinner?"

"Yeah. At the institute."

"Institute?"

"Yeah. I live there...here....whatever."

"Oh right. That's Xavier's School?"

"Yep."

"Cool, cool. Yeah...that sounds ok. I should be able to come..."

"Nice."

"So what time should I be over?"

"Um, dinner starts at 7:00 for us."

"For 'us'?"

"The adults. The, um, teachers."

"Oh neat. So it's casual, right?"

"Well, if you want to get all dressed up it ain't gonna do anything to you..."

"What are you wearing?"

"...what."

"What are you wearing?"

"Right now?"

"No no. I mean tonight."

"Same thing as I'm wearing now. Never get dressed up for dinner."

"Well, then what are you wearing now?"

"Um...jeans, T-shirt...look, don't sweat it. It's just dinner. No big deal. If you don't

wanna come, I mean, you don't have to. Just thought it might be--"

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"Freaking out and being stupid. I'm just..."

"You ok?"

"Yeah. It's just...Jackie..."

"Jackie...?"

"My boyfriend."

"Oh oh right. What's up with him?"

"He's...being difficult."

"..."

"..."

"...you need me to come get you?"

"Yeah."

"...you need me to come now?"

"...yeah."

"Ok."

_Click_


	3. Someone Special

THINGS CAN GET CRAZY

Chapter Three

"Where are you off to?"

"Me?"

"No, Logan, Chucky Cheese."

"Jean, come on."

"Alright then, Mr. Touchy. Where are you headed?"

"Gonna go...pick someone up."

"Who?"

"Natalie."

"Natalie?"

"Yes."

"Is she like your girlfriend, or is she gonna attend the school?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes."

"O...k..."

"Look, I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Why?"

"Jean, I have to go."

"Hey wait!"

"Let go of me!"

"Just tell me what's going on!"

"God dammit lemme go!"

"Ok ok! Just...what's going on?"

"Nothing, ok?! Nothing!"

"...ok. Just...be back before dinner, ok?"

"Ok."

"You ok?"

"I'm fine Jean. I'm fine. Now let me go, ok? I have to go..."

"Ok...damn."

"What now?"

"Nothing. It's just that...well..."

"What?!"

"This girl must be some sleeper."

"...fuckin' A, Jean. That's not funny."

"...fine...but she's special, huh?"

"...yes. Yes, she is. Now I'm leaving. I'll be back later."

"Ok..."


	4. I Care

THINGS CAN GET CRAZY

Chapter Four

"Thanks so much for coming to get me, James."

"The doors a little loose so you may need to slam it."

"Ok...this your truck?"

"Yeah."

"Ah..."

"So...you ok?"

"Yeah...he was just..."

"What's that?"

"What?!"

"Hey hey, relax. You've just got a little nick on your face and--"

"Oh oh it's nothing."

"...looks like a cut or something."

"It's nothing. I-I did that to myself."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah...while..."

"Shaving? That's my excuse, darlin'."

"..._sigh_...I'm sorry."

"Did he do that to you?"

"Who?"

"Natalie..."

"Ok, just don't tell anyone ok?"

"That he hits you? I--"

"Please! He said that he'd--"

"Ok ok. Just, if you ever need me, lemme know, ok?"

"Yeah...ok..."

"Ok..."

"Thank you."

"Don't."

"Ok..."

"So I hope you like spaghetti."

"That's for dinner?"

"That and vegetables along with, um, chicken...I think it's chicken."

"Chicken? Mmm...nice. Who cooks over there? Like, do you guys have a cook?"

"Well, kinda. Hank McCoy, aka the Beast, he cooks."

"The....Beast....?"

"He's blue."

"Oh?"

"And furry."

"Oh..."

"Don't worry. He ain't gonna shed all over your food...or on you...or anything like that."

"Ha ha! No no! I wasn't thinking of that!"

"Well most do."

"Yeah. No, no, I'm very open minded."

"Yeah..."

"..."

"..."

"...you're not good at talking to people, are you?"

"What gives you that idea?"

"I don't know...nevermind."

"Ok."

"..."

"..."

"See?"

"What?"

"Heh, oh nothing."

"Alright..."

"You know...you're...different."

"Different?"

"Like from the other guys I've met."

"How so?"

"Well, you...you actually care."

"...I do..."

"Yes...you do, don't you?"

"...I guess I do..."

"Yeah, well, all the guys I've met so far have either expected me to wait on them and could give a shit about me or have taken advantage of me."

"...I see...advantage..."

"Like Jack."

"Uh huh..."

"And Danny and Martin and all of them! They all just didn't care! I mean, they all just shut me out or shoved me in!"

"Uh..."

"Or maybe I should say they shoved _themselves_ in!"

"Natalie...if you--"

"It's just not fair! I can't see to find anyone to just care about how I feel about all this! And....and..."

"Natalie...Natalie don't cry..."

"Oh...oh I'm sorry..."

"No no....hey, it's ok...look, we're here now. Ok?"

"Damn, my make-up..."

"Hey, look, it's ok."

"I...just...I'm sorry I..."

"Natalie, it's ok. Come here...come on, it's ok. Just forget about him, ok? Forget about them all. You'll be ok."

"...see? You do care..."

"...yeah. Yeah, I do."


	5. Love

**NOTE**: Ok, so finally I am going to write in the normal non-restricted dialogue format. In other words, I am going to really narrate this now. ;) However, the story will not continue like this. It will switch back and forth.

THINGS CAN GET CRAZY

Chapter Five

I sat there next to her, idly pushing food around my plate. I really wasn't that hungry. She had made some conversation with Jean and was talking away with her about something I wasn't really paying attention to. All I kept thinking about was that Jack guy. How he hit her. How he apparently raped her. Her. Natalie.

I grew tense. For some reason it just burned me up inside to think of all those guys doing all that to her. I swallowed and glanced at her. She was so beautiful. Strawberry blonde, pale blue eyes, small and fragile. So fragile...

She caught me looking at her and smiled at me. I smiled back, a real smile. She made me happy. Her face made me feel that old feeling of warmth, pleasure, belonging. She leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Why don't you show me around?" she asked. I nodded slowly and stood. I got a courteous smile and a nod from Xavier and took Natalie by the arm to lead her out of the room.

"You don't really want to look around here, do you?" I asked. She smiled and shook her head. I nodded. "You wanna go somewhere?"

"The garden I saw in the back looked nice."

"Ok. Follow me."

We walked towards the back gardens through the giant double French doors and outside onto the elaborate deck, down the steps and through the breezeway. We stopped in the middle of the large garden and sat on a bench. My nose tickled with the overwhelming smells of flowers, pollen, and the like. I sneezed. She smiled at me.

"Are you allergic to anything?" she asked.

"No."

"Hm...oh my God! This smells amazing!" She was sticking her little nose into all the blooming buds around us. "What is this?"

"No idea," I said, tentatively scratching the back of my head. "Eh, I'm not one for flowers..." She giggled lightly, closed her eyes, and slowly inhaled the smell. She plucked it and gave it to me.

"Smell it," she said. "It's so beautiful."

It was a tiny blue flower, pale, with maybe four or five petals that spread out. I brought it to my nose and quickly, shortly, lightly, sniffed it. I had been able to detect its scent from the moment we walked out of the house, but not identify it as this particular flower. Humouring her, I nodded.

"It does smell pretty nice," I said. Moderately true. She smiled at me as I put it in her hair. She looked at me. The flower was a great compliment to her eyes. She caught me staring again and cocked her head.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" she said playfully. I smiled.

"Nothin'," I replied. I was feeling so self conscious about the shortness of my answers to her, but, like she said, I sucked at communicating. She edged closer to me and I felt my heart beating in my chest more prominently.

"Oh, is the big bad Wolverine nervous or something?" she asked, placing her hand on my upper thigh.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

I could feel myself getting hotter as she toyed with the hem on my jeans, deliberately drawing a bit too close to a certain protrusion. I swallowed. She leaned over and began kissing my neck. I closed my eyes and a very light moan escaped me. Feeling her mouth on my skin made me tingle and shiver, but reality had to go and interrupt, as it normally did.

"Natalie..." I said, catching her hand in time to snatch it from grasping my zipper. "Not here, Natalie. Not now..." She stared at me, curiously silent for a moment. My breath was slightly quicker; I breathed through my nose to calm myself. My senses were heightened immensely, and they all focused on her. She must have known this. She blinked.

"I'm sorry....was I...did I make you uncomfortable?" she asked, shrinking back.

"No....no, it's ok..." I said, breathing deeply.

"I...I just don't know how your body works...." she said quietly. She made a short laugh. "What the hell are we doing?"

"What?" I asked, turning toward her.

"Look at us. We barely know each other and we're acting like...like..."

"Like we're in love..." I replied. I said it without thinking about it, and once I realized what came out from between my lips, I swallowed and immediately snapped my mouth shut. My tongue tingled. Love was a word I was most definitely not used to saying. It had the same affect on me as it would a Japanese person trying to speak a German curse word in Berlin. It was just wrong.

She looked at me with those gorgeous grey-blue eyes and I just wanted to stare into them forever. She took my hand and held it up to her neck, where a small, intricate necklace charm lay flat against it.

"My dad gave me this," she said, still not taking her eyes off mine. I glanced at it. It was a tiny crystal angel, outlined in silver with a halo of white gold.

"He said that if I wore it I would be safe," she continued. "He said that as long as I had it on, he would be right here with me." I was silent, staring fixed now on the little shining charm not a centimeter away from my finger, which seemed giant in comparison to it.

"I take it off whenever I do something stupid, like go to a bar or meet with a guy I don't like...or go to Jack's...." I looked at her. "I just don't want him to see me doing stuff like that. I don't want to let him down...but with you, with you I can keep this. With you, it feels like I have to let him know that finally...finally I can be proud enough with what I've done to let him see." She kissed my hand three times, once on each space between my knuckles.

"I'm not afraid with you, of you," she said. "And I don't care if I only just met you by some stupid fling last night or something. I don't care. I'm not afraid of you. And I want you to know that."

I looked down with my eyes only, studied the wood bench we sat on for a moment, then looked back up at her.

"Natalie," I said, the sound of my own voice almost alien in the sudden quiet around us. "Natalie, I...I don't think you understand..." I was trying really hard not to sound like an idiot, but at this point I felt something between total failure and complete surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She still held my hand; it rested on her collar bone.

"You and me..." I said. "We come from two different worlds. You come from a world where human life is nothing but something hard, sometimes easy, but something, above all, tiresome and terrible and whatever else it is to you. Where people sometimes feel pain or always feel injustice...but eventually, in the human world, you can find love, because it's there, and you can slowly bring yourself up again, no matter how deep you're drowning..."

I slowly withdrew my hand and looked down at it.

"But I come from a mutant world," I continued. "A world where people just hate, and love doesn't exist, and people get hurt and people die and sometimes you're at both ends of the killing and the dying and you can't go anywhere but dig yourself into some hole where....where love just isn't there. Where love is gone or love is the only thing that you hold onto but find out that it's a lie or a let down or something like that. My world and your world...are too different. My world...I don't want to bring you into my world, because...because if I did then I would have to take you down into that hole with me...and I don't want to do that."

I looked back up at her. Storm had always said that whenever I was feeling something deeply, like pain or sadness or anger, you could always tell by looking me straight in the eye. She said that when you looked into "those pretty green marbles", as she called them, you could find out, telepath or not, exactly how I felt, even if you didn't know me. I had never noticed that, but others did, and Natalie sure was right now. Her face contorted into probably the only look of true, heart-felt sympathy I have ever seen directed at me in my entire life. She took her hands and clasped them around mine.

"James," she said. "I love you."

I blinked. She meant it. I knew it. I would have known if she was lying. And she called me by name. She called me by my real name, as I had found out as of late. But she loved me. She loved me.

"I don't care about all that," she said. "I don't care if you drag me down so badly that I die. I want to be in your world. Mine is just too stupid, too boring, too...too empty. It's too empty, James. And for the first time, it shows signs of filling up with life, and with love. And I swear, whatever it takes, I will show you that I love you. I will show you love."

I was so shaken, no idea why, that I couldn't do anything but stare, mouth agape, at this strange person in front of me with this odd feeling in me. This odd feeling that, it seems, I haven't felt in my whole lifetime. This feeling, this person, they were connected. This person loved me. This person wanted me. She cared about me.

And this feeling...this feeling was love, wasn't it?


	6. Observations and Safety

NOTE: I apologize for such a loooooooooooong hiatus but I'm back with some more inspiration

Chapter Six

We sat in the garden for a while till the sun was just below the horizon. Orange and red flooded the pathways as we walked back through the breezeway, making our way towards the mansion again. She held my hand, tiny fingers wrapping themselves snugly around my calloused paw. I had learned that she liked to talk. That was alright though—I was better at listening.

"So that's what happened with her," she said, speaking about her once close friend who somehow betrayed her or something. I honestly could say that I had lost track of the characters in her story long before this point, but I nodded anyway.

"You ok?" she asked. I looked at her as we stopped under a canopy of sakura trees. I looked around. The pink buds were rustling in the wind, sprinkling gently onto us. Their smell made my innards wrench with a misplaced longing that now had some kind of distinction, having finally gotten my mind rightfully back.

_Hiroshima…_

"James?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?"

I didn't answer. I looked at her, smelling the heavy sweet scents around us. I swallowed.

"We should go inside."

I smelled rain in the air.

She looked at me curiously at first, but then giggled.

"Your nose twitches, you know," she said as we resumed walking. I looked at her. She smiled. "It twitches when you smell something, I suppose. You have that ability, right? You can smell stuff?"

"Everyone can smell stuff."

_Idiot. You knew what she meant._

She sighed through a smile.

"You have like…a canine nose," she said, poking my nose as we walked through the doors into the mansion. I scratched my bridge and made an affirmative grunt, which for some reason made her laugh, as we re-entered the dining hall. The table had been cleared, and a few were was sitting down for coffee and some dessert. Jean looked at me and smiled.

"There you two are," she said, standing. I searched her with my senses. She wanted to tell me something.

Natalie was glowingly happy to be in the presence of everyone again. She loved being around people, I'd observed. I was curious to know as to why on Earth I'd be so drawn to someone who was so the opposite of me. As we sat and talked, I caught myself staring at her too many times to count, and I was thankful that she was preoccupied with talking to Jean and Storm. The rain had come, but no one had really noticed. The clock struck about 8pm, and by then it seemed that everyone at the table knew and loved Natalie more than they had anticipated. Jean shot me a smile and a quick thought

_She's special, you're absolutely right._

I nodded at her. My ears caught a peculiar buzzing sound then, and my head cocked to one side. Natalie caught my animalistic gesture and giggled.

"What is it?" she asked with a short laugh.

"Is something…vibrating?" I asked. Everyone grew silent. Natlie then sprang from her seat and hurried over to her bag, where she dug for her cellphone.

"Damn, oh God please…" she was saying under her breath. I watched her. She looked at the phone and her face went white. She looked at me once before answering the call.

"H-Hello?"

Quiet muttering ensued at the table as I followed Natalie into the lobby silently.

"No…no I just didn't check the time…yes I did. I did! No it was right on the…please don't…don't yell at me! I was just going…please stop yelling at me and listen to me! I just…ok. Ok fine, bye."

She closed the phone and leaned on the banister with a great sigh. I walked over to her.

"Everything ok?" I asked. She looked at me, surprised for a moment that I was even there. She swallowed hard and put her hands on her temples.

"Jack is mad because I didn't make him dinner and that he didn't know where I was…even though I left him a note on the counter, but he says he didn't see it. Stupid drunk bastard…he says I need to come back to the apartment right now…"

Heat jumped and curdled in my core as I searched her broken face.

"No," I said, taking her shoulders. "You're staying here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll take you there so you can get your things. You're staying here. I'm not…"

I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh.

"I'm not going to let you go back there with him anymore…"

Natalie looked at me, sad, glazed eyes piercing my weak heart.

"Won't you have to ask Xavier?" she said, her voice small and breaking. I stroked her hair.

"He'll say yes," I said, pulling her into my chest. "After all, he can't resist my charm."

She laughed, and I held her like I never thought I'd hold anyone in my life.

"It's alright," I said. I kissed the top of her head, taking in her beautiful scent. "You'll be safe with me."


	7. What's In a Name

Chapter Seven

"Professor?"

"Yes, Logan. Come in."

"Hey, uh, so how's it going?"

"Quite alright, Logan. Did your guest enjoy her dinner?"

"Mmhmm."

"Good. She was quite a charmer. Very nice young woman. Perhaps you'll invite her more often?"

"Heh yeah…well that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Natalie…I uh…well I told her to stay here…"

"I see…"

"Because see she lives with that bastard of a boyfriend and he…I just don't think…she's not safe with him."

"Why is that?"

"He…well he's dangerous. That's all I'm gonna say."

"Dangerous…well Logan, consider for a moment. Is that your decision to make, him being too dangerous for her to live with? Do you have responsibility for this woman? You only just met her…"

"I know…"

"Logan?"

"She's different. She is. And the things I've seen so far, the things she's told me…she has to stay here with me…"

"With you?"

"…yeah."

"Why?"

"Because..."

"...Logan, don't be evasive."

"I just think she would be safer here with me. That's all. Ain't nothing else to think about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Chuck, you're really testing me."

"I'm aware."

"..."

"Well?"

"...I might feel...something for her..."

"I see."

"Something...a lot different than I've ever felt. I don't wanna say it outright-not my way-but I think I know what it is. If she stays here with me, I can figure it out...I can figure her out...figure myself out..."

"Yourself?"

"Yeah...my mind's been kinda messy."

"So I've observed. Perhaps it's the memories?"

"Don't know what it is. Like...well like half the people I know are callin' me by a name I never knew I had...but the only time it sounds right is when she says it..."

"Well, perhaps she should stay. Then she might be able to help you rediscover yourself."

"Rediscover, right. That's what I was trying to say."

"I know, Logan."

"...James."

"Pardon?"

"James, call me James."

"...alright."


	8. Newfound Chivalry

Chapter Eight

I had told her to wait outside on the porch for me, to get some air. It was raining by now, but she said she'd rather be outside anyway. I felt all the hairs on my body stand in anticipation before the first drop ever fell to the earth, one of the strangest feelings I'd ever experienced. I still couldn't figure out if it was a good feeling or not.

I felt a churning in my stomach as I walked down the steps and saw her through the windows. My instincts told me she was unsettled. I opened the door silently; maybe too silently; she didn't seem to notice. I stood in the doorway, watching her. She was so small, her tiny figure poised on the bench, strawberry blonde hair tussled lightly by the wind. She was looking out into the distance, light blue-green eyes searching for something out there. I came up and touched her arm.

"Natalie?" I said in the most gentle way I could manage. She flinched and looked at me, as if I woke her from a dream.

"Oh! Hey, didn't see you there...you tend to pop up like that..." she said distractedly.

"Sorry.." I replied. I sat down next to her on the bench. We sat in silence beforee my voice sliced through it.

"You can stay."

She looked at me, blinking in slight disbelief. I nodded at her.

"Really?"

"Ah huh."

"Oh my God...James I don't know if this is a good idea..." she said, looking down. Her eyes were shifting and her body tensed and fidgeted. "I mean I said ok and all but what if he gets mad? What if he comes to find me? What'll I do if-"

"He won't find you."

She continued, as if I hadn't said anything.

"But how am I going to-"

"You're safe here."

"Oh James I just don't know if I-"

"Natalie, stop."

She looked up at me then, a tiny gasp escaping her, and her eyes were glassy. The sharpness in my tone was unintentional, but it caught her attention immediately.

"I...I'm sorry," she said after a pause. I saw her hands trembling. Did I scare her? I sighed and said more gently.

"It's ok. And that's the point you're missin', darlin'. It's gonna be ok. You're safe here...you're safe with me." I reached over and gently touched her arm, stroking it with a rough thumb.

"James..." she began, touching my hand.

"Yes."

She looked up at me, a weak smile on her face.

"Promise to take care of me?" she said in a whisper.

"I promise," I said without hesitation. I'd made promises before, but never had I felt that this one was actually worth keeping. I felt like I had to do this. Her eyes moved away from my face, back towards the distant city. She searched quietly again, then a tiny sound came from her lips, and it took me a moment to realize it was in fact her voice.

"...where am I going to sleep?"

I thought for a moment.

"...with me."

She looked at me again, gripping my hand, which was now in her lap.

"Is that ok?" she said, interweaving her fingers with mine. "There are kids here, and it's a school, and..."

"Natalie, you can sleep with me. And if anything, I have a couch in my room too. You could take my bed. Or I'll ask Xavier for another room, if that's-"

"No, I'll sleep with you. That's perfect."

"...ok."

I swallowed. She was playing with my fingers nervously, but I let her. Her heartbeat was quickening, I could feel it pulsing through her hand into my palm.

"Ok...yeah ok..." she kept muttering. I cocked my head.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't have any of my things. What if it gets cold tonight?" She was speaking quickly, nervously, and her voice was beginning to break. I moved closer to her. "I get cold a lot, I don't have a sweater, I might need one, unless it gets too warm, but usually I just...I get so cold at night..."

Tears gathered in her eyes as she muttered on aimlessly about things that obviously weren't worrying her. She'd need clothes, a toothbrush, and where was the shower? Could she take a shower here? She trembled, tears coming down her face like the drops on the windows. The rain made the air thick with scent, but all my senses focused on her. I put an arm around her.

"Natalie...Natalie don't cry...it's ok. It's ok. Here, come here..."

She was borderline frantic, and I held her, trying to calm her down.

"James...oh James, please..." she said, burying her face into my chest. My shirt moistened with her tears, and I cradled her head in my seemingly enourmous hand. Kissing the top of her head, I sat there as she cried, the rain coming down steadily and the wind steering the drops off their downward courses, straying them towards us.

She had a way of being very emotional. For a very brief moment, something jumped inside me, a fear of attachment, a fear of not being good enough, a fear of not being able to handle her emotions because, let's face it, I didn't even know my own. But it died once she looked up at me. Her makeup was smudged just slightly, her tears grey with it. She must have noticed I was looking at the strange effect it made on her ivory cheeks, and she blushed, looking away. Without thinking, I turned her face towards me again.

"I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed. "I must seem like a wreck to you."

"You're beautiful," I said quietly. The words came out before I knew what they were.

"You're too nice," she said with a soft laugh. "I must look awful." She wiped her face, which I figured she thought made it better, but in reality it made the grey tears smudge across her face. I smiled and brought a hand up to her cheek.

"You don't," I said. This tenderness I was conveying was so alien, so unnatural for me, and yet it came unconsciously with her. I wiped the smudges from her face and under her eyes.

"Thanks," she said quietly. I nodded and brushed her hair back. I caught a few tiny knots with my fingers, but pulled through them easily. She took my hand then and put it on her collar bone, and I felt her tiny necklace charm underneath my fingers.

"Why did this happen?" she asked me. As if I knew the answer. "Why did we suddenly fall into this? We hardly know each other...I could end up hating you-" The very thought of her hating me made me want to die. "-and you could end up hating me. You may not want to deal with everything I am and everything I do...but for some reason...why did this happen?"

"Did you not want it to?"

"No, no that's not it at all. I just...I'm just wondering."

"Me too."

She giggled and looked at me.

"Do you snore?"

"I don't know."

"Well we'll find out tonight then, won't we?"

"I guess."

She stood and, taking my hand, pulled me off the bench and inside. I shut the door behind me, and when I turned around, she was fixing her hair and wiping her face. She stood straight and looked at me.

"Do I look ok?"

"No."

A horrified expression overtook her face.

"What's wrong?"

"You don't look ok," I said as I walked with her back down the hallway, arm around her shoulder. "You look beautiful, darlin'. Now quit fussing."

_Was that chivalry? Well I'll be damned..._


	9. Surprising Sensations

Chapter Nine

It was slowly getting darker, and we were all gathered around the television. It was a Friday evening, and that meant movie night. The film of choice was "Up" from Disney's Pixar-Jubilee's choice. Despite my normally deciding to skip out on the thing, I was sitting on the couch next to Natalie; she seemed a little too excited to be watching a children's movie, but it was nulled in comparison to her radiance.

"This movie is so great," Jubilee said to one in particular. She parked herself right next to Natalie on the opposite side, right in the centre of the couch. It was "her spot." "I love the little boy in it...oh what's his name!"

"Billy? I thought it was Billy..." Scott said. He seemed absent. I felt him watching me. I glanced at him, and he just shrugged. Natalie laughed, and I looked back at her.

"No no!" she said, turning to him. I observed. Her smile was glowing, and those eyes... "It's not Billy. I don't know what it is but it's not Billy."

"It's gotta be Rudy then," Scott replied. "Or something with an 'R.'"

"Are you sure? Maybe it was some other letter..."

"Well that's specific! If it's not 'R,' then it's _definitely_ another letter!" Jubilee said in her usual playful mocking. Laughter. I watched Natalie as she laughed with us, sat with us...

It was as if she'd always been here, like she was supposed to be and she had just come back from a long trip. Everyone had already warmed up to her, and she loved being around us, it seemed. I put my arm around her and she smiled at me before looking back at Jubie to talk about something I wasn't paying attention to.

Scott was watching me. I was getting slightly annoyed at that. I turned again to look at him, sitting in the armchair a few feet away from the edge of the couch, where I was. He had a stern look on his face, one that felt like he was telling me that we needed to talk about something. I cocked an eyebrow at him and he raised his. I narrowed my eyes questioningly, searching his face for some kind of explanation for the sudden peak of interest, but he didn't reveal a thing. He just looked back to Jean, who was setting up the DVD.

Jean then stood and put her hands on her hips, smiling at Scott before facing the rest of us.

"Everyone have their popcorn?" she asked. I found my eyes met hers for a simple moment-the green eyes that I so wanted to be held in now seemed duller. It confused me. The way her hair fell on her shoulder, her eyes flickering around like they always did...a knot formed in my chest-I decided I didn't want to think about that right now. Not with Natalie under my arm.

Jubilee bounced excitedly on the couch with the bowl in her hands, and the motion made everyone _else_ on the couch begin to bounce as well. She nodded eagerly, and Natalie smiled with a nod. She looked at me, and I couldn't help but smile.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothin'," I replied stupidly. The bouncing was becoming an imminent annoyance, and I leaned over to look at Jubilee, who was shoveling popcorn into her face and bumping up and down lightly.

"Jubie," I said. "If you could quit..."

"Fine fine hush! The movie's starting!" she replied, crossing her legs and resting them on the table. I sighed, and Natalie leaned in against me. Her warmth felt good on my skin, and memories of the first night with her came back.

Heated, fast, eager sex. Some of the most incredibly satisfying sex I'd ever had. I was left wanting more that night, though-not because it was bad, but because I felt like there was something missing. Tenderness, feeling, passion...I'd never wanted anything like that from anyone before.

This was crazy.

"Feet off," Hank said as he walked by, interrupting my thoughts and pushing the pink-toed feet of Jubilee down off the furniture. She grunted but did as she was told, and Hank sat on the floor in front of me. Natalie looked at him and giggled.

"Why don't you sit on the couch? I'm sure there's room," she said. Hank looked back and her and smiled, revealing some very sharp, stark white teeth.

"I'll shed," he said matter-of-factly. After a beat of silence, she broke out into laughter, which was followed by a "Shh!" by Jubilee, which was followed by more laughter from Jean, and etc. I sat quietly, watching the smiles erupt around me, and I thought _is this really happening?_ I had trouble accepting the fact that it was inadvertently my doing that everyone was so happy on this night. Natalie...

She looked at me and smiled. I smiled back, and she leaned up to kiss my cheek. I could feel my face flare when she pressed her lips against my skin, displaying affection in front of everyone. I felt so exposed, too exposed. But her lips on my skin, the gentle caress, the warmth they delivered, it was like fire through my nerves. I looked at her, ignoring the cheeky stare I got from Jubilee, and sighed lightly, unconsciously. Her eyes captivated me, and I felt myself not wanting to look away.

_ This woman..._

"You ok?" she whispered close to me. I nodded slowly. She kissed me again, this time a tiny press on the lips, then pulled away. I swallowed. She took my hand and interlocked her fingers with mine, smiling still as she turned back to the glowing screen. I pulled her closer, but felt uncomfortable. I'd never been entirely too content with open displays of affection...or anything, for that matter, but she seemed to want it, and I wanted nothing more than to make her feel happy, or comfortable, to say the least.

Jean kept shooting me glances, and it only made my discomfort worse. It wasn't because she was looking at me-Scott had been all night-but it was because it was _Jean_. I stared at her, expressionless.

_Can we talk?_

Her voice in my head. I hated that. I looked away.

_Logan, can we talk?_

I sighed heavily. Natalie felt my tension, it seemed, and stroked my hand. She looked at me curiously, but I only caught it out of the corner of my eye. I was looking at Jean. Concentrating, I thought to her.

_What about?_

_ Just wanted to talk._

_ Scooter in on it too?_

_ Logan..._

_ Fine._

My head swirled. This was too difficult. I shook my head. Natalie tapped my hand and I looked at her.

"You sure you're ok?" she asked quietly. I nodded.

"Yeah," I said gruffly. "Headache or something." She cocked her head.

"You can get headaches?"

I flushed. I couldn't. I shrugged. She narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Show me where we're going to sleep," she said after a beat. "I can tell you don't want to be down here."

I glanced at the TV-a balloon-lifted house being dragged by an old man and a boy scout by a garden hose from below it. There was a dog, which was talking, and a strange looking bird, evidently named "Kevin."

I figured I wasn't missing much and stood. Jubie looked at me questioningly.

"It's not intermission yet," she said in a loud whisper. I shook my head.

"Just gonna show Natalie the rest of the mansion," I said, running my hand through my hair. Natalie stood and smiled at her.

"Don't worry," she said. "We might be back before it's over."

"Doubt it," Jubilee said, turning back to the screen. "This place is huge."

Natalie giggled as we walked away. I felt both Jean and Scott staring at my back. What could they possibly want to talk to me about? Was it Natalie? Did they have a problem with her? I suddenly got very agitated and unconsciously quickened my pace down the hall. Natalie followed curiously, her tiny steps trying to keep up.

So what? Why would they need to give me a "talking-to" just because I brought her here? I wasn't breaking any rules, Chuck had said it was fine, why were they suspicious? I'd found a possible source of happiness, maybe even peace, and not even a day into it and already things were getting in the way. Maybe I was taking it too personally. I arrived at my door, opened it quickly, and turned to face her. She was alarmed.

"Are you.." she started to say meekly. I sighed heavily and leaned on the doorframe.

"Sorry," I said. "Just...thinking."

"Do you always get so scary when you think?" she asked playfully, but there was a twinge of fear in her voice that I sensed immediately. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"Sorry, darlin'," I said again, more gently this time. "Didn't mean to scare ya."

She shook her head, and her earrings jingled lightly.

"It's fine," she said. "You didn't scare me."

I looked at her up and down. She stood very...defensively. Apparently I did too, according to Storm. She hugged her arms and leaned her weight on one leg, and she slouched a bit. I touched her arm.

"We gonna go in?" I asked. She nodded.

I flicked on the light and looked around. My scent was incredibly strong in here, and only now did I notice it. It wasn't messy-the bed was made up haphazardly and my clothes were put away in their rightful drawers, dresser standing in the corner next to the window, only slightly dusty. No curtains, only blinds. Small nightstand next to the bed with some change, ash tray, few cigars and a lighter, and a lamp. No clock. I broke it.

The closet door was broken-I had done that one too, I think-and it leaned on the wall next to the opening. The closet itself was hardly filled; only three jackets, a suit that hung in the back (given to me by the professor; I'd never even touched it), two pairs of boots and a pair of too-old-to-be-worn sneakers, a scarf, a stack of books and papers Xavier had given me to read but I never did, and a duffle bag with a few essentials in it, just in case.

I wasn't embarrassed by the room, but I felt like maybe it was a little too..._rugged_ for such a dainty thing that was Natalie. She looked around.

"It's very homey," she said. "Feels nice."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm. Very you."

I shrugged.

"Just a room."

She sat on the bed and looked at me. Seeing her there, this speck of beauty in an otherwise dull and uninteresting place...I shut the door behind me and sat next to her.

"I'm sorry," she said. I blinked.

"What for?"

"You're so...quiet," she started. She faced me. "You're reserved, contemplative, deep."

I snorted.

"You are," she persisted. "I'm just...I know that someone like me is a big change for you. I don't want you to be scared away."

"You're not the one who's gotta worry about scaring people away, peach," I said. "Not exactly Prince Charming myself."

She smiled, but it was sad.

"You're the closest to him that I've found," she said quietly. I watched her, waiting. When she didn't say anything, I spoke.

"Natalie," I said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I know I ain't entirely too...put together. You're right, I'm reserved. In fact, sometimes I'm damn well near emotionless, and maybe you're right, someone like you _is_ a big change for me, but darlin', if you can manage me bein' the way I am, I sure as hell wouldn't mind managing you...and the thing is I don't even have to..."

She blinked at me.

"I don't have to because I don't have to _manage_, to just _make do_," I said. This was difficult. "I'm no good at this...but...well I like you the way you are and if you think you can handle me, then we don't gotta worry about a thing."

"You make it seem so easy," she said quietly.

"It is."

"How?" she asked. She escalated. "How is it easy? What if I'm annoying to you? What if I probe too much? I don't know where you're comfortable, what makes you upset, anything! Maybe..." She looked away.

"Maybe this was a bad idea."

I didn't say anything. She was right, she hardly knew anything about me. How was she gonna know that I wasn't gonna hold her hand or kiss her in the subway station, or that I wasn't gonna laugh or smile as much as she probably expected? That I wasn't spontaneous or romantic or anything even remotely close to that sort of thing. But I was determined to make this work.

"If it's one thing you hit right on the head," I said. "It was that I was no good at conversation."

"Yeah..."

"But that don't mean I'm not gonna talk to you, Natalie. I'll tell you anything, just give me time. I gotta warm up to this too. But if it's anything I dislike more about interacting it's not being open, straight forward, true. You shouldn't expect anything out of me other than the truth. That's a promise that I have to keep, not just for you but for myself. Understand?"

She nodded and looked at me then, smiling radiantly. She was breathtaking.

"I love you," she said. I swallowed.

"Wh-"

"I love you so much, James," she said again, leaning into me and wrapping her arms around my waist. She nuzzled my collar bone and kissed my neck. "Don't say it back...not yet. Just know that I love you."

Love...did I love her? Was I going to say it..ever? Feeling her mouth on me again was electric. I sighed contentedly, but the relief was alien.

"Natalie..." I breathed, running my hands up her back. The urges brewing within me began to stir, and she started to kiss and suck at my neck more deeply. I melted under her touch. I'd fantasized about other women-Jean and Storm being some, even-but never had anything I'd imagined given me the intense sensations of pleasure that I felt when Natalie simply touched me. I kept thinking, should I say it? Do I love her? Would I even know if I did? Hell, I'd had no experience in this stuff, and if I did, it was locked away somewhere long ago in the memories that I had only just become acquainted with.

The memories...Charles had worked day and night as we grew closer, and finally, once the "barrier was broken," as he said, they came rushing back. I had cried that night, right there in the room with him. Uncontrollable, trembling, fierce hot tears of realization. The emotions I was exhibiting were indescribable. I couldn't fathom the impact until it hit me. I cried and cried and I shook with the forcefulness of it all. My mind had shattered and what emerged was a never-ending spew of pictures and sounds and smells and moments that I thought were lost. I remember Charles' face; calm, understanding, waiting for me to regain myself. I couldn't even feel embarrassed. I was terrified, numb. I let them come, all of them, the things I so wished for finally flooding my brain. I had cried so hard and nearly vomited, stomach churning with such an overload. And he sat there, his hand on my arm, then my shoulders, my head...

I came back to earth, and she was there, touching me, feeling me weak under her warmth. I had my eyes closed and my body was rigid, and she muttered between kisses.

"Relax, James. Relax."

She swung her legs over and sat on me, straddling me on my lap. I was surprised and raised my eyebrows at her.

"What?" she asked, her hands on my shoulders.

"Nothin'," I said thickly. "Just didn't know you were into that."

"Into what?"

"Well you look like you're about to ride on me like a cowgirl," I said with a toothy grin. She smiled coyly. This was better than what was in my head for now.

"That ok with you?" she asked leaning in close to me. I licked my lips and breathed deeply.

"You've got no idea, darlin'," I said hotly in her ear. She sucked my earlobe and said gently.

"Take my clothes off."

"Ok..." I whispered back absently. My hands were already working off her shirt, now fiddling with her bra clasps.

"Damn these things," I whispered. She giggled and undid it herself. Tossing the underwear to the floor, she started shimmying out of her jeans while I peeled my shirt off. Bare skin touched, sparking more intense urges within me. I smashed my mouth against hers and in a frenzy of desire we managed to take the rest of our clothes off.

"Why do they call you Logan?" she asked suddenly. I was just about to move her hips on top of me so I could slip inside her, but I stopped. She looked at me.

"What?"

"They call you Logan. Why?"

I grunted, moving her closer to me. I wanted to skip the chatter and have her ride me like she planned to, but I gave in.

"Up until recently, I never knew my name was James Howlett," I said, the name still sounding strange on my lips. "I'd always just been called Logan, so Logan was my name, as far as I knew."

She looked at me then, strangely. The mood was dying. I frowned.

"Let's not talk about this now," I said, leaning into her and trying to regain the intimacy. She stiffened.

"No, wait a minute" she said, curiously. I sighed against her, my head resting between her breasts.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"How could you not know your name? I mean, did you get amnesia or something?"

"Natalie...I can't concentrate on telling you this right now."

I was struggling to push all of my new memories and thoughts out of my head and concentrate on this lovely naked woman on my lap.

"Can we talk about it later? Tonight?" she asked. I looked up at her.

"Yeah," I said offhandedly. "Can we please-"

"Really, James," she said. She looked stern. How could she think about things like this while we were doing..._this? _I sighed.

"Yes, we will," I said. "Now, can we please..."

She sighed, closed her eyes, and smiled.

"Sorry," she said. She ran her hands through my hair. I went back to covering her chest with kisses.

"It's ok," I muttered between them.

Finally, she started to rock tentatively against me, and I took it as a signal to get the ball rolling. I grasped her hips and, thrusting my own hips towards hers, pushed myself inside her.

She gasped and clutched my hair, making my nerves tingle and shivers run down my spine. We rocked against each other, slowly at first, but increasingly faster as we both started to lose control. The touch of her hot, sweating flesh, her potent scent, her tightening and relaxing around me...my senses drank up these sensations and despite my best attempts, I found myself moaning ever so lightly against her. Panting, I gripped her body and pressed it close to mine as my mouth hungrily explored her perking breasts. They weren't entirely large, but by no means were they unenjoyable. I savored the soft, tender flesh beneath my lips, and her back arched in response.

I knew I couldn't last much longer with her riding like she did, moaning like she did, occasionally gasping and crying out like she did, and my senses told me she had to be close. Finally, I let go, hoping she'd follow. A groan of pleasure escaped my lips, and clutching her trembling body to mine, I thrust hard into her.

In that moment, I realized that sex with passion was far better than sex itself. Her body gave into mine, we reached our peak together, and for just a second, we both became part of each other. Simultaneously, we responded to the other's desires and entered each other's ecstasy. The raw, pheromonal instincts that two animals such as we would share in this moment came into view, and we were burning with these sensations like fire and brimstone. This was bliss.

I sighed against her heaving chest.

"Natalie," I whispered against her damp skin. Her scent was everywhere. It was intoxicating.

"James," she said back, brushing through my hair with her fingers. "James that was brilliant."

"Mmm."

"You're brilliant..."

I moved out of her slowly, and after she rolled sort of clumsily off of me, we lay on the bed, exhausted, side by side.

I breathed deeply.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothin'," I said tiredly. She chuckled.

"You say that a lot...about a lot," she said, turning to look at me. I looked at her.

"I do."

"Why?"

"Dunno. Just never think much about anything I suppose."

She smiled. She was beautiful.

"Where's the shower?" she asked quietly.

I pointed to the door next to my closet-the one that wasn't leaning on the wall.

"In there," I said roughly. "It's a small bathroom, but it's got a shower and stuff. You can use that."

She sat up. I watched her, propping myself up on my elbows. I felt strange. I was laying there, naked, completely exposed to her, and her to me. Natalie looked at me, gave me a once over. I flushed.

"Your body is perfect," she said, almost amazed. I looked down at myself.

"Nah," I said. "Too much hair."

She giggled and traced my happy trail with her finger.

"I kinda like it," she said distractedly. "Very...rugged. Manly. I like it."

"Thanks."

"...you really are very hairy though, aren't you?"

"I am."

"That why they call you Wolverine?"

I shrugged.

"Maybe."

She gave a short laugh and pat my stomach. I grinned at her.

"I'll be out in a few."

"Ok."

She got up and walked over to the bathroom, and I watched her naked body slink gracefully across the room and into the doorway. So beautiful...so radiant...

A knock came at the door. I snapped my attention towards it. A sniff.

Jean.

"Logan?"

"Mm."

"Where's Natalie?"

"Shower."

"Oh..."

I sat up and reached for my underwear, slowly pulling them on before my jeans. My legs felt filled with sand, my clothes like bricks. I was tired. I moved Natalie's clothes into a small pile on the bed, making sure to put her delicate intimates beneath the rest.

"Can I come in?"

I zipped and buttoned. Screw the shirt-it was lost somewhere under the bed.

"Yeah."

The door opened and she came in.

"Oh," she said, looking at me, then around. The room must have smelled like sex. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Nah," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "What's up Red?"

She crossed her arms and stood there, watching me, waiting. I shrugged.

"We're finished if you're wonderin'." I offered. She nodded.

"Logan," she said. "This is a school."

"Ah huh."

"You shouldn't-"

"Save it Jeannie. Teacher's wing is fair game. And relax, we aren't gonna make a fuss."

She sighed, but it was through a smile. I smirked.

"What'd you wanna talk to me about?" I asked, patting a spot next to me on the bed. She hesitantly sat.

"Natalie," she said. "What's going on with her?"

I shrugged.

"Dunno," I said honestly. "Just...we're takin' in in stride."

"Stride," she said. "Mmhmm. Well you seem to be very...interested in her."

"Is that a problem?" I said defensively. I looked at her. Gorgeous eyes, beautiful hair...this woman was the object of my hidden desire and possible affection for so long.

"No, no of course not," she said, looking away. "Just...well Logan you..."

She didn't know how to say it in a way I'd understand. I knew this, we'd had conversations like this before...about Scott, mostly.

I touched her arm.

"Jeannie," I said. "You won't hear much of this outta me, you know that. But I gotta confess this to you. I think...well I really think I have feelings for her. I asked her to stay with me. I wanna be with her, be around her. I told Chuck; he thinks it might be good for me. I mean..."

I shifted. I was uncomfortable with this.

"I mean, how'd _you_ know?"

She looked at me.

"Know what?"

I nodded over at the door.

"Scooter. How'd you know with him?"

"Oh...well I just..."

She blushed, looking away again. My hand dropped. I figured she realized what was going on, but she was just half-way understanding.

"I just knew," she said finally. I nodded.

"I think I know, Jeannie," I said. I looked away. "Thought I knew with you..." I said quietly. She looked at me.

"Logan..." she started. She put her hand on my knee. "It's good you found her. Maybe it'll work out. You can't be certain with these things you know. I mean, get used to surprises in this."

I smiled.

"This whole thing was a surprise," I said. "Never thought I'd like one."

She smiled at me.

"That's the thing about surprises, Logan," she said as she stood and straightened her clothes. She looked back at me as she made her way towards the door.

"You never know."

The door shut. I sighed. Her scent lingered, and I found myself taking it in contentedly. I shook my head. No way was I gonna screw this up. Not for the world. I looked down at my hands. Hard, rough, dark. I unsheathed my claws. Nine-inches of death. I swallowed.

_"Feed...bind...allow it to settle. Then cool. Feed it in...nice and slow..."_

_ "You think you're better n' me, Jimbo. Well I got news for ya, ain't no one gonna love a runt like you. Not even Rose...not even your stupid dog!"_

_ "Wolverine, that's what he is. A wolverine. Tiny one, ain't he? But man, what a machine. Somethin' about him..."_

_ "Gonna break you, Jimmy boy. Gotta learn to be broken in order to break things. Them claws ain't gonna be good enough. Gotta have more."_

_ "You are a weapon. That is what you were meant to be, that is always what you were meant to be."_

_ "You...you animal! You disgusting animal! My son...an animal! Get out, you filthy thing! Get out, get out, GET OUT!"_

I flinched when Natalie touched me, and she moved away. She was in a towel, her hair damp. I swallowed and quickly retracted my claws. She looked at my hands.

"Are you...are you ok?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Just thinking."

She looked at me, and her eyes showed fear. I sighed.

"Natalie, I won't hurt you-"

"Do that again."

"...what?"

She pointed at my hands.

"Show me."

I brought my hands up in front of me and felt the metal slip between my knuckles once again, pushing through and breaking my skin. I watched her as she stared.

"I'm not dangerous," I said, almost pleadingly. "I just..."

"This is your power?" she asked. She went to touch one, but I moved my hand.

"Real sharp, darlin'."

"But this...this is your power?" She was nearly fascinated. I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "Got claws. And I can heal."

"And you have that animal thing," she said, gesturing to her nose. I swallowed.

"Yeah..." I said, bringing my claws in again. "Animal thing..."

She sat next to me quickly then, realizing the word stung, and put her arms around me, kissing my face.

"I know you're not dangerous," she said. "I trust you. But you have to tell me. Tell me everything. I want to know you. I want to be part of this."

I found myself fighting tears, and I shook my head and grunted.

"Ok," I said quietly, weakly. "Ok."

She kissed me sweetly on the cheek.

"Keep me safe with those things," she said. "I know you will."

"I will...always."


End file.
